"Lucent's future is getting brighter by the minute".
Fridays Feature Story...........Saturday
LUCENT ASCENDS TO NEW HEIGHTS - It was Lucent's biggest
celebration ever! Thousands of fired-up Ascend and Lucent
employees gathered in more than 200 locations around the
world yesterday to participate in a rousing broadcast that
marked the historic merger of our two companies -- a bold
move that will result in the creation of the world's largest
broadband networking business.
In true Lucent style, employees came to the broadcast
ready to celebrate. Originating from a packed auditorium in
Murray Hill, N.J., the session included live links to Ascend
employees in Oakland, Calif., and Boxborough, Mass. In
Oakland, Carly Fiorina, president of Lucent's Global Service
Provider Business, and Curt Sanford, Ascend's executive vice
president and general manager of access switching, joined
nearly 900 Ascend people, who gave their new Lucent colleagues
a wild round of applause. The excitement ran equally high in
Boxborough, where the cheers of Jeanette Symons, chief
technical officer of Ascend, and 1,000 of her associates
rivaled the noise level in Oakland.
"This week, we're truly firing on all cylinders," said
Lucent Chairman and CEO Rich McGinn. "On Monday, we announced
the acquisition of Kenan, which will put us at the head of the
pack in developing software products that help service
providers handle billing and customer care. On Wednesday, we
announced an agreement that will make Lucent the preferred
supplier of telecommunications systems to Telefonica, a leading
service provider with almost 40 million customers in Spain and
Latin America.
"And, at practically the same time, we agreed to merge with
Ascend, the leader in the fastest-growing areas of data
networking. Ascend is a remarkable company with remarkable
people. This is clearly a great fit. Together, we will be
unmatched. No one will have a portfolio with the breadth,
quality and reputation of our two companies."
Ascend people agree completely. "We at Ascend hold Lucent
in the highest regard," said Ascend President and CEO Mory
Ejabat. "We have long called Lucent a partner. The merger
is taking 'partner' to its logical conclusion."
McGinn and Ejabat also agree that the Lucent and Ascend
cultures are extremely compatible: both companies work hard,
move fast and have a lot of heart. And of course, both like
to have fun. Responding to one "phony" question asking if
Lucent's culture was indeed stodgy, McGinn replied, "Not at
all" as a slide of Ascend and Lucent executives draped in
togas flashed on the screen behind him.
The merger captured headlines around the world, from Hong
Kong to Brazil, and McGinn shared a few of them with the
audience. His favorite came from the San Jose, Calif.,
Mercury News, which proclaimed: "Lucent Puts Cisco's
Feet to the Fire."
Noted Gina Saettone, Ascend's employee communications
manager, "Lucent acknowledged our value so eloquently.
I'm sure everyone in the audience sat a little taller
after the media clips. By the end of the broadcast, I
think most people felt like they want to become Lucent
employees and can't wait to close the deal."
To fully tap the power of the merger, McGinn explained,
Lucent is creating the Broadband Networks Group, which will
be headed by Dan Stanzione, Lucent chief operating officer
and Bell Labs president. The new group will include the Ascend
organization, Data Networking Systems, Optical Networking and
Communications Software. "By combining these groups, all
powered by Bell Labs, we're creating a team with unmatched
capabilities," Stanzione said. "Our approach will enable us
to become the architects and builders of a new generation of
networks."
Bill O'Shea will continue to lead the Business
Communications Systems Group. "I'd like to recognize and
thank Bill for bringing us to this historic moment," McGinn
said. "Bill coined the phrase 'watch this space,' which Lucent
has been using with analysts to address their questions on
our data networking business. And they've been watching as
we've filled those spaces, with Bill as the key strategist.
I know we can count on him to take the same strategic look at
the revolution in the enterprise space."
O'Shea noted, "I want to let the people of DNS know how
proud I am of them and their work. I'm totally confident
that, together with the Ascend team, they will bring
tremendous value to our customers. I'm happy to be moving
forward and focusing on Lucent's enterprise business, so
'watch this space.'"
Added Michael Hendren, Ascend's executive vice president
of worldwide sales, "Our customers are as excited about
the merger as we are. We share a common vision and
understand our common service provider base very well.
We at Ascend are eager to get started."
"Lucent intends to make this a "textbook merger,"
according to McGinn. "Ascend and Lucent are coming together
legally, but more importantly, we're coming together as
individuals focused on one common goal: to relentlessly
serve our customers. We should respect one another, listen
to one another and learn from one another. We are going to
make this the best combination ever."
So keep your sunglasses handy. Lucent's future is
getting brighter by the minute. |
